Reading-stand.



No. 697,257. Patentd Apr. 8, |902. J. KRIWANEK.

READING STAND.

(Application tiled July 17, 1901.) (No Model.)

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ier STATES PATENT' OFFICE.

JOI-IN KRIWANEK, OF SAN,FRANOISCO, CALIFORNIA.

READING-STAN D.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 697,257, dated April 8, 1902.

Application filed July 17, 1901.

To @ZZ whom t may con/cern:

Beit known that I, JOHN KRIWANEK, a citizen of the United States, residing in the city and county of San Francisco, State of California, have invented an Improvement in Reading-Stands; andI hereby declare the following to be a full, clear, and exact description of the same.

My invention relates to a reading-stand or support for books and the like.

It consists of a foldable and adjustable frame, an adjustable stand having tubular sleeves, an arm adjustment carried thereby and upon which arm the book-holding frame is also adjustably secured.

My invention also comprises details of construction, which will be more fully explained by reference to the accompanying drawings.

Figure lis a View of the stand. Fig. 2 is an end view of the folded frame. Fig. 1 is a view of the stand with the rack in position and extended, showing Vin dotted lines the manner of folding. Fig. 2 is an end view of the rack folded.

A is a base of sufficient size and weight for steadiness, and 1 is a standard fixed to said base. Upon this standard a sleeve 2 is slidable, and upon the outside of the sleeve 2 a second sleeve 3 is independently slidable. The sleeve 2 serves to extend the standard to any desired height and is secured at any point by a set-screw 4. The sleeve 3 serves for the adjustment of the book-holder and enables the user to turn it to either side. and this sleeve is locked by a set=screw at 6.

A bracket 5 is carried by the sleeve 3, and between the ends of this bracket is pivoted a segmental head 8, turnable upon a pin 7 and having a rod 9 extending outwardly from it and adapted to fit in the tubular sleeve 15 of the book-rack. This sleeve is slidable upon the rod 9, so that the rack may be moved to or from the supporting-standard. Thus if the person using the apparatus is sitting in a chair the rack may be moved close to the stand, or if the person is lying in bed or upon a couch it can be moved farther, sliding upon the rod 9, so that while the stand is at the side of the bed or couch the book-holding rack Serial No. 68,625. (No model.)

can be extended over the couch and in a convenient position for the user.

At any point of adjustment the rack is fixed by a locking thumb-nut, as at 16, and if the weight of the book is considerable the rack may be further steadied by means of a chain 14, having one end connected with swinging ring 13 upon the upper end of the sleeve 3. The opposite end is attached to a hook or other convenient fastening upon one of the Vertical sides of the rack.

In-order to adjust the rack' to any desired angle, the semicircular head 8 is turnable upon the pin 7, and it has holes 10 around its periphery, into any one of which a pin 11 may be introduced, passing through corresponding holes in the bracket 5. Pin 1l is conveniently suspended to the bracket by a chain, as at 12.

Along the lower edge of the rack extends a shelf or support 17, upon which the lower edge of the book may rest, and a similar foldable shelf or ledge 18'is connected'with the opposite side, so that by simply turning the rack around the standard either side of the rack may be presented to the front, and be ing properly adjusted either ofthe support* ing-ledges may be used to rest the book upon.

19 is a leaf hinged to the ledge 17 and standing up, so as to retain the lower edges of the leaves of the book in place.

The vertical side bars 2O and 23 are made of angle-iron or other suitable metal, having upturned edges, as 2l and 24, to give them the requisite stiffness. There is also shown a strip 27 hinged upon the part 23 and turn able, so as to stand up in line with the edge of the book upon whichever side of the rack it may be placed. The lower ends of the bars 2O and 23 are pivoted to the lower part or support by pivot-pins 22 and 25, upon which they are turnable. One or both of these pins may have a thumb-nut by which they can be screwed up tight to lock the parts when they are in position for use. The upper ends of the side bars are connected by bars or links 3l and 34. The bar 34 has a slot 36 made lengthwise in it, and the bar 3l has a pin 32 passing through the slotand slidable in it.

A notch is made in the lower side of the bar 3l, and a corresponding lug upon the ends of the bar 34 enters this notch when the two bars are properly extended and in line with each other, and this serves to hold them in position. Diagonal brace-bars 29 and 37 are pivoted at opposite corners, 37 being pivoted upon pin 25 and 29 upon a pin at 30. The bar has a longitudinal slot made in it at 38, and a pin 29a upon the bar 29 is slidable in this slot to allow the parts to be folded or eX- tended, as will be hereinafter described.

39 and 42 are bars, one of which is pivoted to the bar 37 at 40 and the other is pivoted to the bar 29 at 29% The ends of these bars are forked, as shown at 4l, so that when turned into position approximately parallel with the side bars of the rack these forks engage the top and bottom bars, respectively, and this, in connection with the diagonal brace, makes a sufiicientl'y rigid support for the parts of the rack. Each ot' the bars 39 and 42-have an arm 45 hinged to slides 44, which are adjustable up and down upon vertical bars 39 and 42, and they are thus adjustable to suit any size book that may be placed upon the rack.

The outer ends of the arms 45 have the flaps 46 hinged to them and turnable, so that the arms 45 being turned over the top, of the book these flaps 46 may be turned down over the front to retain the leaves in place.

47 is a spring-clamp, of which there may be one or two, and these are adapted to take hold of the leaves of the book and hold a number of them together, if desired.

The rack may be folded to occupy a small space by rst turning the arms 39 and 42 about their pivots, disengaging them from the top and bottom bars o'f the rack and causing them to lie parallel with the diagonal arms 29 and 37.

The slots 38 and 43 allow the parts to slide upon one another, so as to lie in proper position. The top bar is then bent downwardly, the pin 33 moving out of the slot in the bar 3l, and these bars may be folded, upon this, as shown in dotted lines, and also folded upon the bars 29 and 37, the whole being laid parallel with the parts 17. When this has been effected, the bar 26 maybe folded down over the others, and by loosening the thumbnut 16 the rack can be removed from the supporting-standard and will then occupy a position similar to that 'represented in Fig. 2.

The advantage of the construction is the easy adj ustability,reversibility,and ease with which it can be packed into a small space for transportation.

Having thus described my invention, what I claim, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is-

1. The combination in a book-support of a vertical standard, a sleeve slidable thereon,

a second sleeve slidable and turnable upon the first, a bracket, means for fixing it upon the second sleeve, a pivoted adjustable arm projecting from the bracket; a book-holder having a sleeve at the bottom adapted to t the adjustable arm and flexible connection between the upper part of the sleeve and the upper part of the book-holder.

2. A book supporting frame, a tubular sleeve extending horizontally across the base of the same, a rod `upon which the sleeve is slidable, means for holding the sleeve in its adjusted position, a vertical support, adjustable connections between the support and the rod, and adjustable connections between said support and the upper portion of the booksupporting frame.

3. Abook-support consisting of abook rack or holder, a Vertical adjustable standard, a sleeve turnable and adjustable thereon, having a bracket and an adjustable support at the lower end, and flexible connection with the rack at the top.

4. The combination with a stand and supporting means, of a rack consisting of bars pivoted and flexible, said rack 'having a tubular sleeve along its lower edge adapted to fit the support from the stand, and means for adjusting the angle of the rack with relation to the stand.

5. The combination of a standard, a sleeve adjustable and turnable thereon, a book-rack having a sleeve extending along its lower edge, means connecting the last-named sleeve with the lower portion of the rst-named sleeve, and means connecting the upper portion of the rack with the upper portion of said first-named sleeve.

6. A rack consisting of a lower bar having ledges for the lower edge of the book, side bars pivoted to the ends of said bottom bar, a top bar consisting of two flexible and adjustable bars connected together,having their upper ends pivoted to the tops of the side bars, a diagonal two-part brace-bar and vertical adjustable intermediate bars pivoted thereon, and having their ends forked and adapted to engage the top and lower bars of the rack.

7. A book-rack consisting of a bottom bar with ledges upon opposite sides adapted to support the bottom of a book, side bars pivoted to the ends of the bottom bar, a top bar made in two parts exible and slidable upon each other, having their top ends pivoted to the tops of the side bars, a diagonal bracebar pivoted at opposite angles of the frame,

`intermediate bars pivoted 4to said diagonal bar and foldable thereon, said bars'llaving forked ends adapted to engage the top and bottom bars of the stand, short supplemental arms having aps at the outer ends to engage and hold the book leaves, slides movable upon the intermediate bars to which slides IOO IIO

said arms are hinged, so as to be folded and for adjusting its angle, said rod fitting the 1o unfolded, and adjustable up and down on sleeve ofthe rack which is supported and adthe bars. j ustable thereon.

8. The combination inabookrack and sup- In Witness whereof I have hereunto set my port, of a. Vertieallyadjustable standard, a hand. i tubular sleeve turnable and adjustable there- JOHN K RI WANEK. on, a foldable and reversible rack-having a Witnesses: f tubular bottom sleeve, a bracket Carried by S. H. NOURSE,

the standard with a pivoted rod and means H, F. ASCHECK. 

